Clemson Football Redshirt Report: Ben Batson, Quarterback

Clemson football quarterback Ben Batson redshirted even though he sat third on the quarterback depth chart in 2018 for the Tigers.

Today we continue our series analyzing the 2018 Clemson football redshirts.

We’ve taken a look at LB Jamie Skalski, WR Cornell Powell and DE KJ Henry so far. We will continue the series by looking at Clemson football quarterback Ben Batson.

Batson’s career has been a whirlwind, no doubt, since he stepped on campus at Clemson.

Batson actually was originally going to walk-on and play safety for the Tigers. After Clemson football had several quarterback transfer out of the program, the coaching staff decided to move him over to quarterback and they gave him a scholarship.

Analysis:

Batson played in two total games in 2018 and redshirted, but he was always ready for action. Despite not playing a lot of snaps, Batson sat third on the depth chart for Clemson this season and knew that he was just a couple of injuries away from being on the field.

He was the scout quarterback for the Tigers in the National Championship- simulating Tua Tagovailoa- so he also was able to contribute greatly to the team in practice.

Where does he fit?

Batson is a solid quarterback that gives a good amount of depth to the Tigers at quarterback. I’d expect him to stay at quarterback this season and continue to fill that third-string role.

It is possible, though, that he could transfer over to safety if the Tigers needed more depth in the defensive backfield. But, right now, it seems that quarterback is where Batson will most be needed, especially after the 2019 recruiting class saw three safeties sign in the cycle.

Batson will have a few opportunities to get on the field this season, even if he is behind Trevor Lawrence and Chase Brice on the depth chart. I expect 4-star QB Taisun Phommachanh to redshirt, but he will still play a few snaps in four games or less this season, which will factor into Batson’s playing time.